Between Times
by LastExit
Summary: Harry can't sleep one night and joins Sirius for a little pep talk. They're interrupted by Snape, and tempers rise. Oneshot.


Harry woke up in a sweat, something he should have been used to by now, but wasn't. In efforts to make Grimmwauld Place a more pleasant place to stay, Mrs. Weasly had raised the temperature of the house a few degree's in the middle of the night. Combine that with the thousands of blankets she piled on Harry (each one he was lovingly tucked into, embarrassingly enough), and you had a recipe for roasted Harry Potter.

"Ugh." Harry interjected, finally freeing himself of his last feathered quilt. He turned to the bed next to him and saw Ron had kicked his off in his sleep. Even the air was slightly stuffy.

He tried falling asleep again, but his mind was starting to wake up and there was no way to turn it off when it got rambling. He lay there, cooling off as various homework assignments due after holiday break flashed across his brain- including a most difficult lab assignment Snape had given them.

"Dammit." Harry cursed, his brain only getting louder as pictures of Snape whirled around his head. He grabbed his glasses off the mantle, knowing he would have to walk around before settling in his bed.

He tried to be quiet as he walked down the stairs, but they creaked loudly and he soon gave up as he strolled toward the only lit room in the house, the kitchen.

He wasn't sure if he was happy to see Sirius in there or not. It's true he loved being around his godfather, and vice-versa, but it was clear Sirius didn't expect to be interrupted that time of night as he was clutching a half-empty bottle of scotch. He looked up slowly, the shadow surprising him, and looked even more astonished to see who his night-visiter was.

"I'm sorry," Harry said looking at the bottle, but not trying to seem judgemental. " I uh, needed a drink."

"You and me both." Sirius said before breaking out in a toothy smile. Harry was relieved that his words hadn't slurred, and he sounded quite sober. "Nightmares?"

"Yeah." Harry lied, suddenly not thirsty as he sat opposite of Sirius.

"James used to get them something awful." Sirius laughed propping himself on his elbow. "Only most of them were about him losing his hair." he said ruffling Harry's messy locks.

Harry laughed, wondering if it was true or if Sirius was teasing him. He was always talking about James fondly, and knew how much it meant to Harry. He didn't think the way Harry hung onto every memory was pathetic, in fact, it was almost as if his godfather loved recounting the old days as much as Harry loved hearing about them.

"So," Sirius said pouring the scotch into a short glass, "what else brings you to my watering hole?" He asked pushing it towards Harry.

"Oh, I can't." Harry said looking at the nasty amber liquid. "Mrs. Weasly would kill me."

"Nonsense." Sirius barked. "You need it much more than I do, you being the saviour of the wizarding world and all. Besides, who's going to know? It's 2 o'clock in the morning."

"Well..." Harry said sniffing the glass and repressing a cough. " I've got a ton of homework to do. I don't suppose Voldemort would hold off until I'm done my NEWTs. Sometimes I just wish things were easy. I don't need a wonderful life, just an easier one."

Sirius looked thoughtful before pouring himself a glass of scotch and swirling it rhythmically.

"Nope." Sirius said looking into Harry's eyes. "Sorry." he said after taking a sip.

"What?" Harry asked, his hand comfortably wrapped around his scotch.

"Harry...no one has an easy life." Sirius sighed. "Not even an easier life. You can ask anybody on this earth, and they'll give you a sob story."

"So that's it? Everyone is sad? Everyone is depressed?" Harry said suddenly angry.

"No. Everyone gets sad. Everyone gets depressed." Sirius said abandoning his scotch. "But that doesn't mean your sorrow is wasted. Our struggles are what make us who we are. And you always have friends to help you through the tough times. Remus and I are here for you, and sometimes I'll be looking for you to be here for me. Live isn't easy, but we can cope if we have each other." he said clutching Harry's hand.

"Touching."

Sirius almost snarled as the turned to the man who the voice belonged to. Snape was leaning in the door-frame of the kitchen, scowling at the pair of them with intense dislike.

"Did I interrupt your boozing Black? Or were you going to ask Potter's hand in marriage?" Snape asked snidely, uncrossing his arms.

"Don't you have some place to haunt?" Sirius snapped back. Snape's eye's flashed before turning his attention to Harry.

"Mr. Potter," Snape started unctuously, his scowl turning into a smirk. "As a teacher it is my duty to remind you that you are in direct violation of school policy and risk inevitable expulsion."

"What are you going on about?" Sirius asked gruffly. He followed Snape's line of vision and Harry let go of the scotch glass guiltily. "Oh come on Snape! He didn't even put his lips to the glass!"

"Never-the-less," Snape said cooly, his eyes boring into Harry's. " the rules are quite clear on under-age drinking."

"But I didn't drink it." Harry protested, his temper flaring. "And I'm not in school!"

"What he does in his own time is his business, so keep your big nose out of it!" Sirius added. He was gripping his own glass so hard Harry had worries it might shatter under his hand.

Snape did not yet look defeated, but instead his smirk turned into a truly horrible smile.

"The school rules extend to the home of those that attend it, as you know very well." Snape said to Sirius, who's glare darkened. Harry took this as a bad sign that his godfather had no retort. Snape turned to Harry, looking smug. " And the key phrase Mr. Potter is 'possession of alcohol', consumption, you see, is irrelevant."

"Take a close look Harry, at what happens to those who have no friends to fall back on at hard times." Sirius spat. Snape stiffened. "Hurt people go about hurting people; those who can't cope through healthy ways try to make others as miserable as they are."

It took all of Harry's Gryffindor courage to tear his eyes away at Sirius and look at his teacher. Snape's lip was curling, and Harry had the feeling he was using the pause in conversation to gather a particularly nasty response.

"Well said." Snape sneered. "Although, if you allow me the criticism, your point would have more potency if you had not been trying to coerce Potter into a life of alcoholism. Weren't you in your room sulking for a week because Molly Weasly flushed your gin down the toilet?" here he tutted. " I won't judge you on your faux pas, I understand how hard it is to keep record of your hypocrisy when you've only been sober a total of six hours of the week."

"That's a lie!" Sirius roared.

"Oh, so the gin belonged to someone else, did it? Maybe in your melodramatic ramblings you can convince Potter that some mystery person left it in your room by mistake." Snape mocked.

"Speaking of hypocrisy," Sirius said shakily, "You don't expect us to believe you're pure and clean act, do you? Potions _Master_."

"So what?" Snape scowled.

"Use your talents for your own measure, don't you?" Sirius chided.

"That's an absolutely moronic assumption, worthy only of you." Snape laughed. Harry had by now pushed his glass close to Sirius, which was now clinking together like a bell as Sirius' hand shook.

"Oh yeah?" Sirius insisted. "So if we were to do a toxic screen you'd be clean? You think your dark eyes hide all, but I know what someone looks like when they're on _something_."

"The after effects of certain pain potions have the appearance of-" Snape started passionately before cutting himself off at Sirius' cruel smile. " I am not on trial here, and I will still have to insist on Potter's expulsion."

"Don't tell me you've never had a drink before the age of 18." Sirius laughed.

"No, I've never had a drink." Snape sneered. "Not that it is any of your business."

"What?" Sirius laughed. "You mean to tell me that joined You-Know-Who before ever taking a sip of...anything?"

"My not drinking isn't because I am unable to get alcohol. It is a personal choice." Snape scowled, once more looking at Harry with the hate of a thousand burning suns. "Not," he said once more, "that it is any of your business."

Sirius took much more enjoyment in this than Harry ever did. That was evident as he let out another barking laugh. Harry watched nervously as his godfather pushed what was once his drink in front of Snape, who was standing over the edge of the table, looming over them.

"Here, it'll be the best favour I ever do you." Sirius said with a smirk.

"Perhaps I haven't made myself clear." Snape said picking up the glass in his spidery hand. "I don't want it." he said slowly pouring it on the ground.

Harry was sure there was going to be another fight breaking out, considering Snape had done a very rude thing to the kitchen floor. But Sirius just smiled and leaned back in his chair once more.

"Well Snape, I think it's clear all charges against my godson have dropped. Literally." Sirius yawned. "Harry, I'm always here for you mate, but I think I'm going to go to bed."

Snape was now speechless with disgust as Harry himself got up, not wanting to be left with an angry potions master.

"Oh, you had better clean that up or Molly will go ballistic."

Snape scowled, slamming the glass down on the table before turning on his heel and leaving them.

"Yeah...James had nightmares something awful." Sirius said turning to Harry and ruffling his hair. "Most of them involved Snivellus and grease. Sadly some of them came true."

Harry laughed.

SsSsSsS

Authors Note: I just felt like doing a one-shot, if only to prove that I could do them. I felt kinda down today, listening to all my friends problems and realising they never end and are rarely solved. And then Sirius walked in the room and held my hand- ha ha, just kidding. That'd be totally sweet though.

Anyway, reviews would be awesome.


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